This application relates to an improved type of glucose monitor which is automatically calibrated for the particular test strips being used, and to test strip containers for use in such a monitor.
Glucose monitoring is a fact of everyday life for diabetic individuals, and the accuracy of such monitoring can literally mean the difference between life and death. To accommodate a normal life style to the need for frequent monitoring of glucose levels, a number of glucose meters are now available which permit the individual to test the glucose level in a small amount of blood. The success of these devices, however, depends on the ability of the user to obtain a correct reading.
Many of the meter designs currently available make use of a disposable test strip which in combination with the meter measures the amount of glucose in the blood sample electrochemically. Lot-to-lot variation during the manufacture of test strips requires that the user calibrate the system for each batch of strips. This is normally accomplished by inserting a calibration strip, provided with each package of test strips, into the meter. This process introduces the possibility of error as a result of failure of the user to perform the calibration procedures in the correct manner or at the correct times. In particular, errors in calibration can occur if a user opens a new package of test strips and fails to perform the calibration step or if a user has several packages of test strips open and confuses the calibration strips between the packages.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a meter, and particularly a glucose meter, which obviates the need for user initiated calibration.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a meter, and particularly a glucose meter, which reduces the likelihood of a test strip being used with the incorrect meter calibration.